Shimabukuro Iwao
Iwao Shimabukuro (島袋 岩男, Shimabukuro Iwao) is a non-recurring character in Hajime no Ippo. He was a featherweight professional boxer from Okinawa, formerly affiliated with the Mensore Okinawa Seaside Gym. After retiring he continued being a fisherman. He was Makunouchi Ippo's 4th challenger, whom was first to find a way to break his Dempsey Roll and first opponent in the Rising Saga. His surname is Shimabukuro. In Japan, surnames are listed before given names. Background Known as the "Ryūkyū Warrior", Shimabukuro hailed from a small fishing village in Okinawa. As a man of the sea, his main occupation was being a fisherman, and was very well known as one. His body had grown strong from being in this environment. He later started boxing at the Mensore Okinawa Seaside Gym. Starting his boxing career winning by knockout in his matches, Shimabukuro entered the West Japan Rookie King Tournament. After the winning first round, Shimabukuro faced against Sawamura Ryūhei in the second round. Shimabukuro was toyed around by Sawamura for four rounds. Shimabukuro lost by decision after the four rounds. Sometime later, Shimabukuro entered the Class A Tournament and faced against Okita Keigo. Shimabukuro won against Okita by knockout in thirty-two seconds into the first round.Chapter 419, pages 1-4 Part II Submarine Wars Arc He was the first challenger to successfully and seriously exploit one of the Dempsey Roll's weaknesses, in this case the direct collision which was also very dangerous for him. He managed to drag oxygen out of Ippo, due to loss of stamina. Shimabukuro retired after losing to Ippo to focus on his fishing duties and protecting the reefs. Match History Appearance Though even shorter than Ippo, his body is like a steel fortress, bulky and cabled with muscle. He has a rough appearance (like a fisherman) with some facial hair. Personality A stern, prideful, and powerful fisherman, Shimabukuro boasts his confidence against the Dempsey Roll even before they've fought; this indicates he is very analytical of his opponents long before they fight. He even envisions the actual fight as a battle between sons of the sea, until it became clear he was fighting in a ring, not in the water. Realising this too late, he illustrates his pride being shattered as Ippo delivers his finishing blow. Boxing Abilities Shimabukuro is a in-fighter who is even shorter than Ippo. This mean he has to step for the close range for his fights. His body is cabled with muscles that give him great power. He has great punching power, where even Ippo admits that Shimabukuro's power is greater than his, but the Ryukyu warrior isn't as fast as the latter. Shimabukuro is shown to be extremely durable, showcased when he took on Ippo's Dempsey Roll head on by hitting simultaneous punches against it. The seaman's greatest attribute is his stamina. He is able to hold his breath under water for 14 minutes, and his stamina outlasted Ippo. Shimabukuro's is a in-fighting expert. Thanks to his layers of muscle he never doubts his raw strength, but only wants to engage the opponent by either turtling and blocking everything or a non-stop infight. He's a careful fighter who will keep slowing down the opponent with as many body blows as possible. He aims to not only kill their legs but have them completely exhausted and unable to move, and will take almost any blow moving towards that goal, as he views boxing as a contest in stamina. He was capable of weight shifting during his fight against Ippo in their zero distance battle with each other. Coach Kamogawa stated that the Ryukyu warrior was a boxing genius equal to that of Miyata. Techniques *Gazelle Punch *Weaving *No Oxygen State Weaknesses Like Ippo, Shimabukuro's short height means he cannot use hit and away tactics at all; he always has to press forward to enter an in-fight. Out-Boxers are his natural enemy. He lost to Ippo after trying to trade punches with Ippo during the Dempsey Roll; Ippo's endurance proved greater than Shimabukuro's. Gallery Manga Scenes= Shimabukuro Fishing.png|Shimabukuro Spear Fishing Shimabukuro Training v47.png|Shimabukuro Training Shimabukuro Sailing.png|Shimabukuro sailing Shimabukuro vs Okita 1.png|Shimabukuro vs Okita Shimabukuro vs Okita 2.png|Shimabukuro defeating Okita Shimabukuro - Boulder.png Shimabukuro - Holding Breath.png|Shimabukuro holding his breath Shimabukuro leaving.png|Shimabukuro leaving Shimabukuro meeting after the match.png|Shimabukuro meeting Ippo after the match |-| VS. Makunouchi Ippo= Fight posters Ippo vs Shimabukuro.png|Fight posters Ippo vs Shimabukuro Shimabukuro start.png Start of Shimabukuro vs Ippo.png|Start of Shimabukuro vs Ippo Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 01.png Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 02.png|Shimabukuro and Ippo hooking arms Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 03.png Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 04.png|Shimabukuro lifting Ippo Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 05.png|Ref trying to stop them Ippo hits Shimabukuro.png|Ippo hits Shimabukuro Shimabukuro angry.png|Shimabukuro angry Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 06.png Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 07.png Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 08.png|Ippo holding on Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 09.png Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 10.png|Ippo blocking with his glove Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 11.png Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 12.png|Trading blows Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 13.png|Final punch Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 14.png|Down Ippo vs Shimabukuro - 15.png|Tries to get up but can't |-| Anime Scenes= Iwao.png|Shimabukuro as a fisherman Screen Shot 2013-10-05 at 7.40.26 PM.png|Shimabukuro fighting stance (Anime). Screen Shot 2013-10-12 at 7.11.37 PM.png|Shimabukuro getting punched by Ippo. Screen Shot 2013-10-12 at 7.18.00 PM.png|Shimabukuro getting inside with Ippo. Shimabukuro's_Gazelle_Punch.png|Shimabukuro's Gazelle Punch Trivia *Shimabukuro is one of five boxers in the series with a 100% KO rate. The others are Takamura Mamoru, Makunouchi Ippo, Alexander Volg Zangief, Jimmy Sisphar and Kamogawa Genji. *He is the shortest opponent Ippo has ever faced, as well as the shortest known boxer. References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Characters from Okinawa Category:Characters from Japan Category:Mensore Okinawa Seaside Gym Category:Retired Boxers Category:Orthodox Boxers Category:In Fighters Category:Featherweights Category:All fights Win by KO Category:100% Wins by KOs